Efforts in endemic and invasive pest outreach for urban and community audiences in California

Extending information to urban and community audiences on pests and their management is a constant challenge. California continues to struggle with newly introduced exotic and invasive pests, as well as managing endemic pests in both agricultural and urbanized areas. In 2007, the University of California Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program (UC IPM) formerly established it’s “Urban and Community IPM program” to focus efforts on reaching the ever-growing urban population in California, to help protect human health and the environment by reducing risks caused by pests and pest management practices, especially pesticides. Since then, UC IPM’s urban program has increased in both academic and core staff devoted to urban pest issues, and has devised numerous innovative methods to help deliver information to end users. Efforts have included training various audiences, increasing urban-focused publications and educational tools, using social media, and greatly enhancing our home, garden and landscape web pages.